Blind Eyes
by xxMegs09xx
Summary: Iron Man 2 Movieverse. In a spur of the moment decision, Tony Stark announces to the world that he is Iron Man. But he wasn't ready for the repercussions it would bring. A new enemy is threating the Stark family and it's up to Tony to protect the person he loves the most, his daughter, Morgan Stark. Sequel to Through My Eyes.
1. Chapter 1

**Here it is, the sequel to Through My Eyes! Thank you so much to everyone who supported my first story and I hope you enjoy the sequel just as much, if not more, than the original. ** **Please leave some feedback at the end of this chapter. It only takes a few seconds of your time and I really appreciate every response I receive. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Iron Man. Only Morgan.**

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_Blind Eyes_

I wished I was at home in my PJ's.

Instead I was squished between two very loud and skimpy dressed girls. Not the way I wanted to spend my night.

I groaned and put my fingers in my ears, trying to block out the thousands of voices around me chanting one thing.

"Iron Man! Iron Man! Iron Man!"

I was in Flushing, New York in the newly reopened Stark Expo for the opening ceremony. And I was regretting my decision to stand in the throng of people instead of backstage. I had wanted to see my father the way everyone else in this crowd did and to see how the man with the 'Iron' suit had taken the world by storm. I was amazed at how many people had crammed themselves into this arena to see Iron Man. People had come from across the country, just to get a glimpse of Tony Stark and his extraordinary suit. Some people were holding up signs that said things like 'Iron Man Rules!' and 'I Love you Tony!' while others had bought the plastic masks that looked like Iron Man's mask and hand gloves with a light in them to resemble the suits repulsors. The world was in love with Iron Man.

Six months had passed since dad had announced at that press conference that he was in fact Iron Man. I had been furious at first. The minute he had entered my hospital room I yelled at him until the nurses had to send him away. Pepper and Rhodey gave him the same lecture, though not as loudly as I had done. I had been concerned about people wanting the suit bad enough to do anything to get it but dad had had no such worries. He thought that since he _had_ the suit to defend us, people would be stupid to try and steal it. And it seems like he was right because in the six months since his public reveal, no one had made any attempt to steal it. I was happy but still wary and waiting for it to happen. I hoped it wouldn't.

People had been cautious of the suit at first and thought that it hadn't safe to use in our country but dad had soon changed their minds. In just a few months he had stabilised the east-west relations, saved thousands of lives and become a national hero. Now Iron Man comics were in stores along with little action figures, each month he graced covers of numerous magazines and he even had an 'Iron Man' cartoon series for kids on TV. Life was great for Iron Man.

Dad's public image had never been better. All his good work was in the news without the words "playboy" or "drunk" being used. Stark Industries was back on top after the drop we had after shutting down the weapons division. And the Stark image was getting another boost tonight when Dad officially reopened the Stark Expo. Until Dad starting talking about plans to reopen it, I had never heard of Stark Expo.

I bet no one in this crowd had heard of it either until a few weeks ago but they weren't here for the expo, they were here for Dad. The people around me were getting restless, jostling each other as they waited. Of course Dad couldn't simply walk out on stage. No, he had to make a grand entrance.

Suddenly fireworks boomed above us, an explosion of colour in the dark sky. Dad's cue. I was the only person in the crowd who knew how Dad was going to make his entrance, so while most of the crowd's eyes flew back to the stage, mine stayed glue on the sky. My eyes, now adept at spotting the soaring suit, quickly zoomed in on it.

Hand suddenly pushed at my back, causing me to stumble. Cheers erupted around me. I looked up to see Iron Man standing centre stage, arms in the air. Damn it.

The "Ironette Dancers" began prancing around the stage in their ridiculously skanky outfits. They had been Dad's idea. Everyone around me was going crazy, jumping up and down, dying to get a glimpse of Iron Man. My eardrums were beginning to throb in pain. The stage around Iron Man began to disassemble. The familiar machines rose out of it and began to take apart the suit.

Within seconds Dad was standing before the still roaring crowd in a plain old suit. His eyes scanned the people in front of him and I wondered if he was looking for me. Even though I was only 10 feet away from him, the crowd was so dense I doubted that he would spot me. The Ironettes ended their dance circled around Dad and promptly left the stage.

"Oh it's good to be back! You miss me? I missed you too."

I rolled my eyes. How could they miss him when he had never left?

"Blow something up!" someone yelled from the crowd.

"Blow something up? I already did that," Dad replied, his voice booming across the giant room.

The audience chuckled. Dad smoothed out his jacket and gazed out upon the throngs of people. He was so calm. His face didn't show any hints of fear and nervousness. I could never be like that. More than 5 people and I choked up.

"I'm not saying that the world is enjoying its longest period of interrupted peace in years because of me." The crowd cheered and clapped, deafening me even more. "I'm not saying from the ashes of captivity never has a greater phoenix metaphor been personified in human history. I'm not saying that Uncle Sam can kick back on a lawn chair, sipping on a ice tea because I haven't come across anyone who's man enough to go toe-to-toe with me on my best day!"

I shook my head slightly as I gazed up at my father. He certainly wasn't humble. The crowd didn't care as they went crazy for him around me, jumping up and down and screaming random things to him, including "I love you!"

And of course this speech was nothing like the one he had been rehearsing in the jet. I swear half the shit coming out of his mouth he made up on the spot.

"Please, it's not about me. It's not about you. It's not even about us. It's about legacy. It's about what we choose to leave behind for future generations." His eyes swept the audience where I was standing. "And that's why for the next year and for the first time since 1974, the best and brightest men and women of nations and corporations the world over will pool their resources, share their collective vision to leave behind a brighter future. It's not about us. Therefore what I am saying, if I'm saying anything, is welcome back to the Stark Expo."

The cheers went up again. I too clapped as I watched Dad up on stage. I began to see him as the people around me saw him; awe-inspiring, a genius, unafraid. But I also saw a side of him the people around me never saw.

"And now, making a special guest appearance from the great beyond to tell you what it is all about, please welcome my father, Howard."

Dad walked off stage as the mammoth screen as wide as the stage changed from the Stark Expo logo to the video of my grandfather.

"Everything is achievable through technology," he began saying onscreen.

I smiled up at my grandfather for a moment. I had watched this video so many times that I could recite every word he said. Of course I felt some sadness over never meeting my grandfather. From what I had heard, he had been a great man, a brilliant inventor and a cunning business man. But what he hadn't been was a great father. Dad rarely ever spoke about him and I have never seen any photos of them together. Part of me thought he was the reason why Dad had never hired a nanny for me when I had been young. I gathered that Dad and his father never really bonded when he was young and he had been determined not to repeat that cycle with me.

The people around me had stopped their jumping and cheering to watch the video. I started to push my way through the people, some of them muttering angrily as I did. I resisted the urge to flip them off and kept walking. As I reached the side of the stage, I pulled out a pass and showed it to the burly security man who eyed it for a full minute before letting me pass.

I walked up the ramp that let backstage and easily spotted my father standing in the wings.

"Dad," I called out.

He spun around the face me, tucking something into the inner pocket of his jacket.

"Hey Morgs." He grinned. "How'd I do?"

"Great," I said as I came to stand in front of him. "But you already know that."

"Yes but it's always nice to hear it."

"Careful or you'll get a big head," I said sarcastically.

I looked up at him, noting that his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. It had been that way for months. I was convinced something was wrong but he had been assuring me everything was fine. But I knew my Dad and I knew something was going on that he wasn't telling me about. So many thoughts had ran through my brain as I thought about what he could be keeping from me, each thought worse than the last. Was the company failing? No, I knew by the stock market that we were more than fine. Was something wrong with the suit? No, he wouldn't keep using it if there was. Was Pepper leaving? No, although the Iron Man announcement had taken its toll on her, she wouldn't leave. So what was it? Eventually I had given up wondering and just assured myself that in time he would confide in me. I hoped.

"Holy crap, there is a lot of people out there," I said as I ducked my head briefly out of the wings. The number of people in the audience had seemed to double from when I was in it to staring down at it now.

"Are you sure you don't want to say a few words?"

I spun around to face him with wide eyes. "You're kidding right? You know I can't speak in front of a crowd."

Dad laughed. "I'm kidding."

"Ha ha." I walked over to the water jug and poured myself a glass. Just talking about public speaking was enough to make my throat go dry.

"You know if you take over Stark industries, you will have to make public speeches." Dad briefly glanced at the video of his father still playing, no doubt thinking about his passing and when he took over the business.

Groaning, I clutched my water tighter. "Don't remind me."

The crowd suddenly began clapping and cheering, indicating that the video had ended. Dad tugged on the end of his suit sleeves and flashed me his winning smile. "That's my cue."

I watched my father confidently saunter back onto the stage. I felt a surge of pride as well as a tinge of jealousy.

I pull up a chair and waited in the wings for dad to finish his speech and introduce the man who would be managing the expo. I didn't know how long we would be here for so I was about to go in search of a toilet when he ran back offstage.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"What?" I asked, "You don't have to stick around?" I was expecting to be at the expo for hours, waiting for Dad to fulfil all his commitments.

"Nah," was all he said.

"Thank God!" I wanted to go back home to California and be back in my own bed! I loved New York and had been here on many occasions but today I just didn't want to be here. I had a feeling something was going to go wrong.

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For crying out loud! How long does it take to sign some autographs?

I sighed and lent against the car. I was standing outside the main building, waiting for Dad to finish speaking to the press and meeting fans so we could leave. I was too tired to even admire the newest addition to our collection of cars. It was a white Audi R8 Spyder with a V10 engine, top speed of 194 mph. We had picked it up here in New York and Dad was definitely looking forward to driving it, though we were only going to the airport. While we took the jet home, someone else would drive the car back to California.

"Are you Morgan Stark?"

I looked over to see a tall dark haired woman approaching me. She was dressed well in a high waisted skirt and purple blouse, complete with black pumps. She smiled warmly as she stopped by the car.

"What's it to you?" I asked. I barely passed for polite on a normal day and tonight I was too tired to even try to be nice.

She wasn't put off by my rudeness. She actually chuckled and nodded like my comment proved my identity.

"I'm looking for your father."

I looked her up and down, hoping she wasn't just another girl wanting to try and get in his pants. Come on, I mean it's one thing to try it in front of other people, but I was his daughter. Surely she wasn't gunna crack onto him while I was here?

I opened my mouth to tell her to get lost when I spotted a small white envelope in her hand. Uh oh. God I prayed that it wasn't a paternity test order. I had been anticipating one of those for years now. I _really_ didn't want a sibling.

Before I could question why she was here, the doors leading into the main area opened and Dad walked out, followed by Happy.

"See, that wasn't too bad," I heard Happy say to Dad.

"No it was perfect," he replied.

Dad eyes widened as he took in the scene before him. A grin spread across his face. I didn't know if it was because of me, the car or the woman.

"Hi," he said.

Answer: The woman.

"Hi," she replied.

He approached the girl and shook her hand. "And you are?"

"Marshal."

"Irish. I like it."

I rolled my eyes and left them, walking around to the passenger side of the car.

"Please to meet you Tony."

Happy pressed the button on the keys that lowered the roof on the car and put Dad's bags in the trunk with mine. Without having to be asked, he chucked the keys to Dad.

"Where you from?" Dad asked.

"Bedford."

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," she answered.

"Yeah? You found me."

I jumped into the passenger side, so glad to be finally sitting down. My feet were aching. Dad quickly slid into the driver's seat.

"What are you up to later?"

God, I hoped that was a rhetorical question.

"Serving subpoenas."

Crap. That's bad, very bad.

"Yikes," was all Dad said.

The woman held out the white envelope, waiting for Dad to take it but he made no move to grab it. Oh come on. I couldn't believe Dad was still going with his 'not taking anything handed to me' crap. It was beyond a joke! Only I, Pepper, Happy and Rhodey could ever hand him something.

Dad looked to me out of the corner of his eyes, the corner of his mouth turning up in a smile. I sighed angrily and lent across the car to snatch the envelope from her hand.

"He doesn't like to be handed things," Happy explained from where he stood behind the woman.

"Yeah, I have a peeve."

I chucked the envelope onto Dads lap then rested my head in my hands.

"You are hereby ordered to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee tomorrow morning at 9:00 am."

No! I just wanted to go home! I almost cried. Now we had to go all the way to D.C!

"Can I see a badge?" Dad asked.

"You wanna see the badge?"

"He likes badges," I said sarcastically.

The woman smirked as she pulled out a small badge and showed it to Dad. "Still like it?"

"Yep."

She slid it back inside her skirt and backed onto the footpath as Dad started the car.

"How far away from D.C are we?"

"D.C? 250 miles," I said.

Dad revved the engine and took off before I had time to wave goodbye to Happy. He wouldn't be far away though. He and Pepper would probably trail behind us in a rental car. I leant my head back against the headrest and closed my eyes, listening to the purr of the engine. The start of a headache was beginning to pound behind my eyes. I could have just gotten a ride to the waiting jet but I had to stay with Dad and make sure he didn't do anything stupid. Sometimes, like now, I found it really annoying having to be the grown up one. And the mature one. And the responsible one.

"What's wrong?"

I opened my eyes to see Dad staring at me.

"Nothing."

Taking his eyes away from the road, he gave me a look that said he didn't believe me.

"I'm fine Dad."

"You can talk to me Morgan."

I sighed and shifted in the seat. "Okay, you wanna talk? Let's talk about what you're keeping from me."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said with complete sincerity.

"Dad, I can tell something is wrong. If you tell me, maybe I can help?"

"Morgan, nothing is wrong that you have to worry about. I can handle it."

I rolled my eyes. He was keeping something from me and it was pissing me off. But I didn't want to press it. The more I pushed, the more he would pull away.

I turned the radio up and we settled into silence as neither of us wanted to talk about what the other wanted to. I didn't bring up the subpoena because I was scared of what it meant. Within a half hour we were out of the city streets onto the highway. With the top down, the wind was causing my hair to whip around my face. I gathered up my long blonde hair, now well past halfway down my back, and pulled it into a ponytail.

I watched the road for a little while, noting that Dad's driving was tamer than usual. No doubt it was due to my presence in the car. I was sure he was desperate to test out the new toy but I appreciated his restraint. After finding the least uncomfortable position possible while in a car seat, I drifted off.

My dream was one I had been having for six months. It always started the same. I would walk up the steps from our garage, looking through the waterfall, into our living room. There I would see a grinning Obadiah and Dad dying. The dream would then alternate. Some nights I dreamt what had happened, me falling through the waterfall. Other nights Obadiah shot Dad then me. Sometimes he paralysed me then tortured me. But it didn't matter how the middle changed, the end was always the same.

Tonight Obadiah had me paralysed, lying on the floor. I was watching Dad as he struggled to breathe. The lights above me flickered as rain pelted the windows. Obadiah was speaking but I couldn't hear what he was saying. My eyes switched from Dad to the large, glinting knife in Obadiah's hand. He took slow, deliberate steps towards me, momentarily forgetting Dad. He bent down next to me and I could see the malice in his eyes. Without a hint of hesitation or remorse, he threw back his hand and plunged the knife into my chest.

I was grateful to wake.

I wildly looked around, still groggy from sleep, half expecting to see Obadiah near. Taking a deep breath, I reassured myself he was gone.

"Bad dream?"

I couldn't look Dad in the eye, not yet. "Uh...yeah," I mumbled. I saw Dad study me from the corner of my eye. I was glad he didn't press for details. While my breathing got back to normal, my mind wandered. I was still having these dreams six months on. Did Dad? Outwardly, he showed no signs of the trauma he went through, but then, neither did I. After 6 weeks with an arm cast, 9 weeks with a leg cast and 4 weeks of physical therapy, I was almost brand new again.

It was only at night when the pain of the ordeal showed. I was pretty sure he knew what my daily nightmares were about but he never pushed me to talk about them. I didn't want to. I hoped they would go away in time.

"Where are we?" I asked after I had composed myself. The sun had risen, telling me I had been asleep for a few hours.

"Greenbelt," he answered.

I looked at my watch and saw that we had a couple of hours before we had to appear before the Senate. Good. I definitely wanted to check into a hotel and have a shower and a good meal. I rolled my neck around, cringing. Sleeping awkwardly in the car had made me sore all over.

We checked into the St Regis, even though we were, hopefully, not staying the night in Washington. I took an extremely hot and long shower, finally feeling human again. When I emerged in a huge fluffy towel, I found a pair of jeans and a black and white striped tee waiting on my bed. No doubt Pepper had left them there for me. For what seemed like the billionth time, I thanked God for Pepper and wondered what I would do without her. She had been especially amazing in the weeks following the Iron Man announcement. When people had called wanting interviews, photo shoots and exclusive knowledge about the suit, Pepper had handled them all. She decided which interview offers Dad accepted, what magazine deals were made and where Dad travelled to promote the Stark image. Without her, Dad would be lost. I think Dad was finally beginning to realize just how much Pepper meant to him. He was testing the boundaries of their relationship. I thought having Pepper as a girlfriend would be good for Dad and would have no qualms if they began dating, but for now Pepper remained entirely professional as his PA.

And she was more than just my Dad's personal assistant. She was my closest friend. She was the one that I called when I needed advice, the one that rushed over when she heard tears in my voice, the one that you would do anything for. We laughed together, cried together and loved each other. They were times when she was so busy we didn't see each other for days but we always kept in touch by texting or email.

I ducked into the bathroom again to change. I slapped on minimal make-up and left my hair to cascade in soft waves down my back. When I came out, Dad was sitting at the table beneath the huge French window. A mountain of dishes sat upon the table.

"I love you!"

"Are you talking to me or the bacon?" Dad asked as I approached the table.

I mumbled something incoherent and sat down. My mouth was literally watering, reminding me that I hadn't eaten since lunch the previous day. I piled my plate high and ate as much as I could. It wasn't until my plate was completely empty did I remember what was coming today. Butterflies filled my stomach and the food threatened to reappear. We both knew why Dad was being called to appear before the committee. Even though I knew he probably wouldn't care, I felt the need to warn him.

"Dad, today please don't..." I couldn't figure out a way to finish that sentence.

Dad looked up from across the table. "Don't what?"

I looked around for the right word but couldn't come up with any. "These people are not under you're employment so you can't yell at them, berate them or antagonise them. They are influential people so please just watch what you say."

Dad just shrugged. "I know what I'm going to say. They want the suit, I will say no. Simple."

I sighed. Nothing with Dad was ever simple.

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	2. Chapter 2

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_**Disclaimer: I do not own Iron Man**_

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Some things changed but one thing always stayed the same. I always tied Dad's tie. Always.

As I did it up for him, he smiled down at me. There was something in his eyes I didn't recognise.

"You're a good daughter."

I laughed. "Yes I am."

"I mean it," he said with emphasis. "I don't know how I ended up with such a perfect daughter, especially with me as your father, but you are amazing. I love you. No matter what anyone says, no matter what you hear, I will always love you."

I suddenly realized Dad was having a rare serious moment. I absorbed his words with a small frown, wondering what had brought on this sudden burst of affection and proclamation of love. Sure, we loved each other but we didn't do all the mushy shit like other families did. We knew we loved each other and we just reminded each other every now and then when we were feeling sad or thankful. I tried to remember the last time Dad had had a sappy moment. Six months ago, when I had been in the hospital after 'the accident'. I understand why he had done it then. Watching someone you love come close to death makes you want to tell them how much you love them. But why now? Neither one of us was going anywhere anytime soon.

I told myself to stop questioning why my father had told me he loved me. Just be happy and thankful!

"Thanks Dad," I said before pulling him in for a quick hug. "I love you too. And despite what you may think, you were a good father. Remember the time you were teaching me how to ride a bike and you padded the whole driveway so if I fell over I wouldn't hurt myself?"

He smiled at the memory. "And then you went too fast and hit the driveway gates headfirst?"

"Hmmm, yes," I said with a touch of sarcasm. "That is a particularly fond childhood memory of mine."

He bent down and gave me a kiss on my cheek.

Sappy moment passed, we made our way down to the car and started driving but I was hardly paying any attention. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go wrong. To top it off, my leg was starting to ache. Ever since the accident, both my leg and my arm ached randomly.

"Come on Morgan."

I brought myself back down to Earth and saw that we had arrived already. I got out of the car and began to follow dad through endless hallways, ignoring a few gawkers and cameras. I hadn't even thought about the fact that cameras and reporters would be here. I looked down at my frayed jeans and simple tee. I shrugged. All eyes would be on Dad anyways.

We stopped before a set of large oak doors. My leg was continuing to ache. I leant down and rubbed it, knowing it wouldn't make much difference anyway. I noted dad's eyes slid down to my leg but someone distracted him as they came up to talk to him.

"Here you go." Pepper.

I turned around. She was giving me a gentle smile while holding out a bottle of water and two aspirin. I grinned at her. "Thanks." Just having her here calmed my nerves.

I quickly took the pills and a swig of water. Suddenly the doors to the court opened and we had to go in. The room was packed. Before the row of the committee members was a long table, presumably where dad was to sit. The rows of seats behind the table were full, leaving people to stand against the walls. I ignored the glaring cameras as I followed dad down the aisle. He, however, waved and grinned as people clapped for him.

My eyes travelled up to the row of committee member and saw that none of them looked happy. Great.

Dad took a seat at the centre of the long table while both Pepper and I squeezed into the rows of seats behind him. I didn't know if I would be able to sit here for long. The pain in my leg was not going away and my head was beginning to pound.

People began talking but I couldn't hear what they were saying. I kept my eyes on the ground, willing all the pain to disappear. I knew I should have been listening to what was going on but my mind wouldn't focus. I don't know how long I sat there, not paying attention to anything going on around me. Pepper gently touched my shoulder once or twice but I kept my gaze on the floor.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the aspirin kicked in and the pain began to fade. I looked up, wondering what had been going on while I had been out of it. None of the committee members looked any happier as they stared at dad...who was staring at me.

"Turn around," I hissed.

"Mr Stark! Can we please pick up where we left off?" asked the man who seemed to be running the show. "Mr Stark, please!"

Dad swung around in his chair. "Yes dear?"

Oh God. The crowd laughed but I found it anything but funny. This was not a game yet he was treating it as such. "How long as he been like this?" I whispered to Pepper beside me.

"The whole time," she murmured back.

Fan-bloody-tastic. I had tuned out and dad was being cocky. He needed to be more careful and realize that he isn't untouchable.

"Can I have your attention?"

I looked at the small name plate in front of the man doing the questioning. Senator Stern. What an appropriate name. Right now he certainly was looking stern.

"Absolutely," dad replied into the small microphone on the desk in front of him.

"Do you or do you not possess a specialised weapon?"

"I do not."

"You do not?" Senator Stern questioned.

"I do not...well, it depends on how you define the word 'weapon'."

The Senator leaned back in his chair, like he was somehow enjoying this interrogation. "The Iron Man weapon."

"My device does not fit that description."

"Well...how would you describe it?"

I could hear the agitation slipping into dad's voice. "I would describe it by defining it as what it is Senator."

"As?" the Senator prompted.

"As...hmm...it's a high tech prosthesis."

That earned a few chuckles from the crowd.

"That's actually the most apt description I can make of it."

I sighed and rested my head in my hand. The flashing lights from the cameras were beginning to annoy me. I wondered how many people across the world were watching this.

"It's a weapon. It's a weapon Mr Stark." Stern sounded as annoyed as I was.

"Please, if your priority was actually the well-being of the American citizen-"

"My priority," Stern said, speaking over dad. "Is to get the Iron Man weapon turned over to the people of the United States of America."

"Well, you can forget it," dad said matter-of-factly.

I couldn't believe these people were wasting their time trying to get dad to turn over his suit. He built it and owned it. End of story.

"I am Iron Man." Bloody oath. "The suit and I are one. To turn over the Iron Man suit would be to turn over myself which is tantamount to indentured servitude or prostitution, depending on what state you're in." Once again, the people laughed. God, I wished he would just take this seriously! "You can't have it."

"Look, I'm no expert-" the Senator begun.

"In prostitution?" Dad asked. "Of course not. You're a Senator. Come on." He spun around and gave the peace sign to the room. I shook my head at him but I may as well not have bothered. He briefly caught my eye. I widened my eyes, trying to convey to him that he should tone it down a bit. He kept my gaze for a moment longer then turned back.

"I'm no expert in weapons," the Senator corrected. "We have somebody here who is an expert in weapons. I would now like to call Justin Hammer, our current primary weapons contractor."

I watched Dad's head shot up at the mention of Justin Hammer. The man seemed to come from out of nowhere, coming to stand at the end of the long table where Dad currently sat. Dressed in a gray suit, complete with nerd glasses, he looked like he would pass for an expert. But I knew better. I couldn't believe they had brought this douche in. I had only met the guy once but he was a total, utter tool.

"Let the record reflect that I observed Mr Hammer entering the chamber and I am wondering if and when any actual expert will also be in attendance."

Okay, I couldn't get angry at him for that one. A small laughed slipped out of me. Dad looked back and gave me a grin. Hammer seemed to shrug it off as he sat down in the furthest chair at the table.

"Absolutely. I'm no expert. I defer to you, Anthony." He sent Dad a sly grin. "You're the wonder boy."

I wanted to stalk straight over there and pummel those glasses into his face. For years his company had been trailing behind Dad's. He had been trying and trying to better Stark Industries and he kept failing. And because he is a jealous prick, he is gunna say whatever he can to make Dad look bad and get the suit turned over to the United States 'people'.

"Senator, if I may. I may well not be an expert, but you know who was the expert?" Hammer stood up from his chair, grabbing his microphone as he did. "Your Dad. Howard Stark. Really a father to us all, and to the military industrial age. Let's just be clear. He was no flower child. He was a lion." I watched Stern's eyes travel from Hammer to Dad. The bastard was actually enjoying this shit. "We all know why we're here. In the last six months, Anthony Stark has created a sword with untold possibilities. And yet he insists it's a shield. He asks us to trust him as we cower behind it. I wish I were comforted, Anthony, I really do. I'd love to leave my door unlocked when I leave the house but this ain't Canada. You know, we live in a world of grave threats, threats that Mr Stark will not always be able to foresee. Thank you. God bless Iron Man. God bless America."

A few people clapped, including Senator Stern, but most of the room remained quiet. That's when I suddenly realized something. The people behind me were not here to see Dad fall. They were here to support him and the Iron Man suit.

Despite knowing this, my urge to punch Hammer had increased tenfold during his speech, causing me to squeeze my hands into fists. Now they were stinging. I opened my fists to see small crescent moon shapes in my palm.

To everyone else it would seem like Hammer's little speech had no effect on Dad but I could see the tension in his shoulders.

"That is well said Mr Hammer," Stern said as Hammer took a seat. "The committee would now like to invite Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes to the chamber."

"Rhodey? What?" Dad asked, turning around in his chair.

Suddenly the photographers crouching in front of the table leapt up, clicking furiously. Everyone turned in their seats, including myself, watching as Rhodey, dressed in his uniform, entered the room. Why was he here? Neither Dad or myself had known he was going to be here so he couldn't be here to help us. Sure enough, I turned around to see Stern smiling. Shit.

Dad stood up from his chair and walked halfway down the aisle. "Hey buddy, didn't expect to see you here," Dad said with faked nonchalance.

Rhodey said something to Dad that I wasn't able to hear from my spot. As they walked back towards the table Rhodey gave me a small smile. I tried to return it.

"I have before me a complete report on the Iron Man weapon," Stern said as Dad resumed his seat, with Rhodey taking the one beside him. "complied by Colonel Rhodes. And, Colonel, for the record can you please read page 57, paragraph 4?"

It was news to me that Rhodey had done a report on Iron Man. I began wondering just what he had written if the Senator wanted some of it read out. Surely he wouldn't have written something that could damage Dad's reputation as Iron Man?

"You're requesting that I read specific selections from my report Senator?" Rhodey asked.

"Yes sir."

Rhodey glanced at Dad. "It was my understanding that I was going to be testifying in a much more comprehensive and detailed manner."

I wished I could see Dad's face so I could tell how he was feeling but I could barely see the top of his head as he slouched down in his chair.

"I understand," Stern said. There was a hint of a smile playing on his face. "A lot of things have changed today. So if you could just read-"

"You do understand that reading a single paragraph out of context does not reflect the summary of my final-"

"Just read it Colonel." Stern's tone was suddenly sharper. "I do. Thank you."

Rhodey looked defeated but slightly nodded as he thumbed through a stack of papers, looking for the right page. "Very well," he said as he opened to the correct page.

Dad shifted in his seat to the side and leant back.

"As he does not operate within any definable branch of government, Iron Man presents a potential threat to the security of both the nation and to her interests." Rhodey looked guilty over to Dad.

In that moment I hated Rhodey.

"I did, however, go on to summarise that the benefits of Iron Man far outweigh the liabilities," Rhodey continued. "And that it would be in our interest-"

"That's enough Colonel."

"-to fold Mr Stark-"

"That's enough."

"-into the existing chain of command Senator."

Dad suddenly leaned into the microphone. "I'm not a joiner but I'll consider Secretary of Defence if you ask nice. We can amend the hours a little bit." People around me laughed.

I couldn't believe the Senator was manipulating Rhodey's report to his benefit. You could not take a small piece of text out of a huge report and get all the details accurate. He was just a huge ass trying to get things his own way.

"I'd like to go on and show, if I may, the imagery that connected to your report," the Senator said.

I almost threw my head back in exasperation. There was more? And what images could they possibly have that would convince everyone that turning over the suit was in everyone's best interests?

"I believe it is somewhat premature to reveal these images to the general public at this time." Rhodey's argument was ignored as the Stern spoke over him.

"With all due respect, Colonel, I understand. And if you could just narrate those for us, we'd be very grateful."

Sonofabitch! I literally wanted to strangle him! He was being unreasonable.

All eyes turned to the somewhat large TV situated beside the judges. The screen changed from a logo to a birdseye view of a desert area. There were a few buildings and hangers in the photo but everyone's attention was drawn to a circled area of the photo. Squinting, I could just make out what seemed to be something large and mechanic-like.

Oh shit. I had been wondering why no one had made any attempts to steal Dad's suit. It was because they were making their own.

"Intelligence suggests that the devices seen in these photos are, in fact, attempts at making manned copies of Mr Stark's suit." Rhodey said.

My eye's flicked over to Dad to see how he took this information. He had to have known this was going on. And he hadn't told me. Because then I would have been right.

Dad wasn't even looking at the TV. He was fiddling with his phone.

"This has been corroborated by our allies and local intelligence on the ground, indicating that these suits are quite possibly, at this moment, operational."

How on Earth had these people managed to replicate our suit? No one had our designs or some of the machinery that we used to make the suits. They must be poorly made but are somehow functional, apparently.

"Hold on one sec buddy," Dad said suddenly, leaning across the table. "Let me see something here."

He held up his phone, which was barely more than a piece of glass, and lined it up with the TV. People began murmuring as he tapped away, wondering what the hell he was doing. I was wondering the same thing. Suddenly a black box appeared on the TV screen. Numbers and letters flashed in the box along with the words 'Welcome Mr. Stark'. I bit back a laugh, finally realising what he was doing.

The people behind me whispered louder as Dad spoke. "Boy I'm good. I've commandeered your screens." He whipped around and did the same thing to the screen on the other side of the room. "I need them. Time for a little transparency. Now let's see what is really going on."

I frowned, wondering what the point was to taking over the screens. What could he show them that would make them believe Iron Man was safe in his hands?

"What is he doing?" Stern asked with clear nervousness in his tone.

"If you will direct your attention to said screens," Dad said as he placed the phone on the table, continuing to swipe and press it. "I believe that's North Korea."

Suddenly video footage appeared on the screens. It was in black and white with Korean symbols on the screen but what captured everyone's attention was the large and odd looking robot. People gasped as they watched the crude robot try to walk and stumble. As it fell to the ground, the machine attached to it began firing. People screamed in the video as they fled. Shots continued to be fired and something that looked suspiciously like blood slashed across the screen.

"Can you turn that off?" Stern said. "Turn it off. Take it off.

Hammer jumped from his chair and raced to the TV, fumbling for the switch to turn it off.

"Iran," Dad continued.

The video changed to another scene. Another poorly developed suit was attempting to fly. Though Hammer was standing in front of the TV, still trying to switch it off, we could clearly see the suit crashing into a heap, exploding on impact.

"No grave immediate threat here," Dad said. "Is that Justin Hammer?"

The video changed again. It now showed Justin Hammer standing near a robot, which looked more sophisticated and professional than the other ones.

"How did Hammer get in the game?"

Hammer shoved away someone trying to help him switch off the TV and began desperately searching for the plug. On the screen he was commanding the robot, making it lift a leg.

"Justin, you're on TV," Dad said. "Focus up."

The committee at the table were whispering. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. Here Hammer was trying to get Dad's suit turned over, when he had tried to create one himself. Dad looked over his shoulder, giving me a wink.

I turned my attention back to the TV in time to see Hammer commanding the robot to twist to the left. It did so, but too far. Sparks flew from it as its whole upper body did a 180. The Hammer on screen gasped and fled, yelling "Oh shit! Oh shit!" as the robot sparked and died.

The screen suddenly went black as Hammer pulled the plug. He turned around to take his seat. His face was as red as a beetroot. Everyone in the room was staring at him, murmuring. People had actually began to stand up to see better.

"Yeah, I'd say most countries, 5, 10 years away," Dad said in a serious tone. "Hammer Industries, 20."

Biting my lip wasn't enough. I covered my mouth with my hand, my shoulders shaking with laughter. I looked beside me to see Pepper's mouth tugging up in a smile.

"I would like to point out," Hammer said, grabbing a microphone from the table, "that that test pilot survived."

"I think we're done is the point he's making," Stern said. He had stood from his chair at some point. "I-I don't think there's any reason-"

"The point is, you're welcome, I guess," Dad said.

"For what?"

"Because I'm your nuclear determent," he replied. "It's working. America is secure. You want my property? You can't have it. But I did you a big favour."

He stood from his chair and turned around to face us. "I have successfully privatised world peace."

While he gave the peace sign, everyone behind me stood from their chairs and clapped. The whole room was giving him a standing ovation.

"What more do you want?" Dad continued. "For now! I tried to play ball with these ass-clowns." He gestured back to the table of committee members.

"Fuck you Mr Stark," Stern said. "Fuck you buddy."

I couldn't help it. I laughed.

"We're adjourned. We're adjourned for today," Stern said.

"Okay." Dad grinned and slid on his sunglasses.

Stern scowled. "You've been a delight."

Dad gave him the thumbs up before blowing his kisses. I stayed in my chair as he walked down the aisle, talking to the cameras as he went. I looked to Pepper beside me.

"That went well huh?" I asked sarcastically.

"Sure did," Pepper replied with equal sarcasm.

"Can't see why they wouldn't want him protecting America," I said.

That was probably exactly what the Government was thinking. They probably had no problem with the suit...I mean, come on, it's awesome. They just didn't like the drunken, playboy millionaire who was in it. No doubt if they got their hands on the suit, they would just put one of their men in it. Assholes.

"Hey."

I turned around to see a sheepish looking Rhodey staring at us. Part of me wanted to be angry at him but I couldn't.

"I just want you to know I had to compile that report for USAF."

I nodded. "Yeah I know."

"The purpose of the report was not to make Iron Man or your father look bad. I was asked to write a report on the Iron Man suit and make recommendations about its use. If Senator Stern had let me finish, I would have said that the technology the suit possesses is a great benefit to America and that your father should be given an official position within the department of defence."

"Rhodey, I know. I'm not angry at you." I'd known Rhodey since I was a kid and it was going to take more than a report for me to hate him.

"Really?" he asked incredulously. "Because your face when I was speaking said otherwise."

"My face was more angry at dad than you Rhodey. Speaking of, I think I better go find Dad before he does anything else stupid," I said. I was anxious and just wanted to leave. The sooner I was out of this place, the better I would feel.

I turned and left Pepper and Rhodey. I wasn't angry at Rhodey but I wondered if Dad would be. Surely Rhodey gave Dad some pre-warning about the report? He wouldn't just spring it on him. The more likely scenario would be that Rhodey did send Dad the report but, as usual, he didn't read it. If that was the case, Rhodey should have known to send it to Pepper.

I walked the endless halls slowly, part of my mind trying to remember the way out, the other part thinking about everything that had just happened. For now the suit was still Dad's property. But for how long? Senator Stern didn't seem like he was just going to let this go. We would certainly be hearing from him again. And I was afraid of what would happen when we did. The general public certainly seemed to be on Dad's side but would that be enough to stop the Government from taking the suit and all our other prototypes?

I pushed open the doors to see Dad in a sea of reporters. And a smile on his face.

Was I the only one taking this seriously? I was getting sick of Dad's blasé attitude towards everything. I honestly had no idea how he managed to raise me without the help of a full-time nanny. When I was little, it had been fun to have a Dad who didn't care and didn't take things too seriously. Now it was just annoying.

He had to have moments when he took things seriously, running a company and all, but those moments were rare.

Our new Audi was waiting in the nearby car park. Besides the keys dangling in his hands, Dad was making no move to leave. I waited for a minute. Then I snapped.

I would probably regret it later, when Dad yelled at me, but I stalked over to him and grabbed the keys from his hand. As I started the car, I saw the mixture of shock and surprise on his face. Then I was speeding out of the lot.

He would have to take the rental car with Pepper. I didn't care. I was wanted to get on the jet and leave. Of course the jet wouldn't leave until they all got there, but I would be much more comfortable on the jet than standing around a lot of reporters.

I was speeding through the traffic when I realised I had no idea of the way to the airport. After quickly pulling over and consulting the map on my phone, I was back zipping through the cars. As the speedo crept up, my anger faded. By the time I reached the airport, I was regretting my decision.

* * *

_**Please take 2 seconds of your time to leave a review below. I really appreciate it. **_


	3. Chapter 3

**_Thank you to everyone who has left a review. I love them._**

**_I just want to explain something to everyone who reads my stories. When I first started this story, at least a year ago, I had been working part time. However this year I started studying Medicine at University and as a result I have not been able to spend a lot of time on this story. Since I had already started it, I really wanted to finish and publish it but it was a very rushed job. This story is not as great as I would have liked but I simply do not have the time to sit down and write it perfectly. _**  
**_So please keep in mind that it's not exactly what I had hoped for but I wanted to get it up here for all those people who liked the first Morgan Stark story._**  
**_This also means that the Avengers and Iron Man 3 stories will be a long way away in the future. But they will come eventually. _**  
**_Thank you to everyone who has waited for this story for years and left me reviews, they keep me going._ **

_**And a special thank you to princessabbie10, who let me constantly bother her and bounce around ideas with her. **_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Iron Man**.

* * *

"Next time you want to drive my Audi, just ask."

Dad grinned as he walked into the jet and took a seat.

"I'm sorry," I said. "But I was getting sick of waiting." After driving the Audi to the tarmac, I had jumped onto our jet and immediately grabbed a coke and candy bar. I had sat and watched a rerun of Top Gear while waiting for everyone else, who had only arrived an hour later.

Dad just shrugged and threw his feet up on the small side table. "Gotta give the press what they want."

"Since when do you care about giving the press anything?" I said.

"Since they have supported Iron Man," Pepper said as she entered the jet and took the seat opposite dad's. "It's always good to have the press on your side."

I couldn't argue with that. I had seen many people get on the wrong side of the press only to deeply regret it later. And we definitely needed the press on our side if the Senate continues to push for the Iron Man suit to be turned over.

"Did you even listen to me this morning dad?"

"I briefly remember something being said about...something," he replied.

"I _said_ not to antagonize them or insult them which is exactly what you did!"

Dad simply shrugged. "All I said was what needed to be said."

I raised my eyebrows with fake surprise. "Oh, so you _needed_ to imply that the senator was a prostitute?"

"Yes." He suddenly sat up in his chair and waved a finger in my direction. "And don't act so high and mighty. I saw you laughing at Hammer."

Woops. "Okay, you got me on that one. But that's only because the guy is a complete tool. Literally. Even his name says he's a tool. I can't believe they would actually ask him for advice on weaponry." I clenched my fists as my rage began building again. "But back to the original subject, you need to take this more seriously dad. Calling people prostitutes and insulting them is not the way to go about proving that the suit is safe in your hands. You have to accept the fact that you may have to suck up and kiss a few asses if you want to keep the government off your back." I looked to Pepper for encouragement.

"I already gave him this speech in the car," she said.

I sighed and lent back in my chair. "And I see that the message has really sunk in."

I dropped the subject and closed my eyes. I would bring it back up again later. All I wanted to do right now was go home and jump straight into my bed. I felt like I needed to sleep for days.

My mind was starting to drift off when dad's voice brought me back.

"Oh look who it is."

I opened my eyes to see Rhodey sitting down in the chair opposite me. I gave him a small smile which he returned.

Looking between dad and Rhodey, I waited for one of them to say something. It wasn't like dad to keep his mouth shut so I knew it was only a matter of time.

Sure enough, as soon as we were up in the air, he said, "Tell him to apologize for ambushing me."

"I ambushed you?" Rhodey asked.

"Yes, yes."

"I sent you a report."

"I didn't even know-"

"The one with bold red letters on the top of it-"

"Did not."

"Saying Tony. Please fact check."

"You received it," Pepper said.

Oh so that's what had happened. Rhodey had sent Dad the report he had been forced to read parts of for Stern. Dad, being dad, had ignored it. Rhodey should have anticipated that and sent it to Pepper instead.

"I didn't get that!"

"It was on your desk," Pepper said.

My eyes flew between Dad and Pepper, like watching a tennis match.

"Oh please, like I remember," Dad said indignantly, "Cause you know I wouldn't remember even if I did. Have you apologized yet?" He looked over to Rhodey as he slid his feet off the table.

"I wouldn't hold my breath," was Rhodey's reply.

"This would be a good time. I'm supposed to be Iron Man and you're suppose to have my back and I got out of the game, and that left a vacuum and now you're with Hammer, and I'm sorry-"

"You know what would be great?" Pepper asked. "If we could get through some of this stuff on the list."

Pepper had a list of never ending requirements of dad. Things to read and sign, things to approve, appearances to do.

"I'm Iron Man, okay?"

Okay, now he was being stupid and childish. It seemed with everyday that passed he grew more and more stupid. I didn't know what was going on with him to make him act this way but it needed to stop.

Pepper sighed. "Okay Iron Man, could we maybe-"

"You don't know what that means. You didn't make the suit."

"Yes, but I did," I said suddenly. "I helped you make it so I am just as much Iron Man as you are."

"No, I am Iron Man. I protect the free world."

Child. He is the child and I am the parent trying to get him to behave.

"We'll cancel Monaco-"

Oh Monaco. I had forgotten. Every year we went over to Monaco for the Circuit de Monaco. I loved watching the race, especially since we had our own car racing in it. I had many good memories in Monaco. Watching the race cars fly around the track, listening to the roar of the engines, breathing in the smell of burnt rubber. When the race was over Pepper and I would go shopping for hours then find a small beach to ourselves. Pepper always felt like that wasn't something a personal assistant should be doing so she never failed to take her laptop to the beach.

I had always enjoyed our annual trip to Monaco. But not this year. I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay on U.S soil and not run away from the problems plaguing us.

"You guys are going to Monaco?" Rhodey asked.

"What do you mean 'you guys'?" Dad asked, "You're coming to Monaco."

Oh, so now they were buddies again and he wanted him to tag along?

"N-...I can't go." I knew it killed Rhodey to say that. Almost every year he came with us to Monaco, the only except being when he couldn't get away from work.

"Oh come on. That's our thing. We need this."

Rhodey shook his head. "Nah Tony. I have stuff to do. I have responsibilities."

Dad sat up in his chair and swung it sideways to face Rhodey. "So you don't wish to come?"

I turned my head slightly to catch Pepper's eye. She wore the same look I had.

"Just say what you mean," Dad persisted. "You don't want to hang out with me anymore."

I rolled my eyes. Honestly, they were worse than teenage girls.

"I think...hanging out with you is bad for our friendship," Rhodey said.

I had to forcibly bite my lip to stop myself bursting with laughter. What did that mean? You _had_ to hang out with someone to _have_ a friendship.

"What do you call that?" Dad asked. "Call the shrink. Get him on the horn. I gotta find out what just happened. That was criminal."

Pepper picked up her clipboard and pen, ready and probably very eager, to get through the numerous items waiting to be addressed on her list. It was moments like these that made me wonder how on earth she did it all. How does she manage all the commitments and appointments people want dad for? How does she manage dad himself? Even _I_ couldn't put up with him sometimes yet she did, 365 days a year.

"Let's move onto the birthday party," she said.

Dad agreed. "Lets."

"I think in keeping with economical times we should do something small, less wear and tear on your body, maybe a retreat."

I knew even before she had finished speaking that there was no way dad was going to do something 'economical' for his birthday. Every year, without fail, he threw an extravagant birthday party. They had been more demure when I had been little but each year they had grown more lavish and alcohol fuelled. I had hoped for a more low key party this year but I knew my wish was wasted. Dad's previous ways were slowly creeping back. Alcohol was appearing in the fridge, pizza and other fast food was being delivered daily and it was only a matter of time before the first one night stand appeared. I don't know why he was reverting to his previous lifestyle. I didn't want to ask, the more he changed back, the more distance he put between us. I had hoped the changes he made after coming back from Afghanistan were permanent. They weren't.

This year's part was going to be as bad as last years.

"Oh yeah. Lets do some ashtanga yoga in a retreat in Ohio. What!? That's what _you_ want to do," Dad said forcibly.

"No, I'm not suggesting-"

"Why cancel...Oh I get it. Here's the message I'm getting, and tell me if I'm wrong again," dad said, looking to Rhodey, "because this is really really super toxic at this point; why celebrate my birth?"

After a moment, Pepper sighed, realizing there was no point arguing this issue any further. "Okay, we will throw a small party at the house."

Dad grinned as he had once again won another argument.

Pepper scribbled down something on the list and ticked a few things before she looked over to me. "Morgan, People magazine called _again_ for the fifth time. They really want to interview you and get you on the cover. They've even tripled their original offer."

"That's a good magazine," dad said with a grin.

"You only like it because they've named you 'Sexiest Man Alive' four times." I groaned and sunk lower in my seat. "Pepper you know that's the last thing on earth that I want to do."

She smiled and nodded. "I know but I thought I would at least mention it again. They're really pushing for it and they want you to _at least_ consider it."

"Do you think I should do it?" I trusted Pepper's opinion both as a friend and as an assistant so if she thought I should do it then I would consider it. I just hated drawing attention to myself and being on the cover of a magazine was probably the number one way to do so.

"Well, there are a number of things to consider," she said in an extremely professional voice. "Your father's been getting a lot of good press lately and having his daughter on the cover of one of the most popular magazines will only help his image. And yours of course. You've never given an interview before so I think this might be a good place to start. Plus, one day you will run and be the face of Stark Industries and that comes with a lot of responsibilities which includes doing interviews."

I started biting my thumb nail, a bad habit I did whenever I was nervous or stressed. "What sort of questions would they ask?"

"Obviously they will want to talk about your father and his suit but I expect they will also ask about what it is like being heiress to a multibillion dollar business, your love life, your childhood, your mother maybe."

My eyes immediately found dad's and I knew the sadness I saw in them would be reflected in my own. It was hard enough talking about my mother to dad and Pepper, I couldn't imagine doing it with a complete stranger.

"Then they would take some photographs and that's it. It would take around a day."

"They're not that bad Morgan," dad said.

"I'm sure they're not. I would just be nervous because it would be my first interview," I said. "Who would want to read an interview about me though?"

"Morgan, you underestimate yourself too much. You're an amazing person and the daughter of Tony Stark. I'm pretty sure everyone would want to read that interview."

"She's right," Rhodey chimed in.

With three sets of eyes staring at me, I squirmed in my seat. I guess I couldn't put it off any longer. For years magazines and television shows had been chasing an interview with me. I knew it was only because of my father and when dad had gone public with his suits, the offers had only gone up. I had to face the fact that one day I would be running a business and that came with the price tag of weekly press. Better to start now and get use to it I suppose. Plus, I had just been lecturing dad on sucking up to the press to keep them on our side, I guess I should listen to my own advice.

"Okay. Let them know I am seriously considering it and when I've decided I will let them know."

"Good." Pepper gave me a smile and ticked that off her list.

I looked to dad who gave me a wink which I returned with a small smile. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the fact that I was flying home. Home. Everything would be okay.

* * *

**_Please leave a review below. I love feedback._ **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Iron Man.

_Please leave a review. I love reading all of them!_

* * *

My muscles were screaming in protest, begging me to stop. My heart was pumping madly. I listened to the sound of my feet slapping against the damp sand as I tried to clear my mind of everything worrying me. Dad, the suit, the Senate, everything.

I ran up and down the deserted beach until the sun began to dip behind the mountains. I finally stopped and began sucking in air in deep breaths. I was glad we had our own private beach so close to the house as I began slowly walking up the small, rugged path that led to the bottom of the driveway.

I had started running daily after the accident as a way to keep my strength up. And to prove that no one could break me, not even Obadiah. My leg ached during the run but I was determined to push through it. I was fine.

As the house came into view (I still liked to think of it as a house even though a more accurate description would be mansion) my mind couldn't help but think of the future. I was scared of what might be coming.

I had never felt like this before. I had never had to worry about the future. Everything had been set out before me, I didn't have to question my life. Now I questioned it every day. And I was scared, for both myself and dad. Was the government eventually going to get their hands on the suits? Was someone else going to try? The videos I saw at the Senate...they had been failed attempts at replicating our suit, but would someone, somewhere, eventually succeed? I had so many questions and no answers.

I would ask Dad but I knew he didn't have the answers either. And I was beginning to see that when it came to the Iron Man suits, he was blind. All he saw were the suits and the good they were doing. He was ignoring the debates and controversies that surrounded them. I didn't know what was going to happen and that scared me.

I reached the driveway gates I had to go through the process of proving my identity. After voice recognition, a fingerprint and retinal scan and punching in a four digit code, the gates swung open to let me in. Six months ago after Obadiah disabled J.A.R.V.I.S and got into the house so easily, dad had increased security tenfold. It was a pain sometimes but I knew it made him happier knowing that it was in place and it did make me feel more secure in the house. For weeks after the 'incident' I had felt so unsafe at home, jumping at every noise and shadow. Even with J.A.R.V.I.S's constant reassurance that there was no one in the house I had still been paranoid and scared.

I jogged up the driveway, trying to forget. I entered the house to immediately hear dad and Pepper's voices from the garage. Arguing. I wondered what it was about. There were so many things for her to be yelling at him for. Sometimes when they fought I would help alleviate the situation but right now I felt dad needed a little yelling at. He needed to get his mind right and realize his action weren't just affecting him anymore. From now on, everything he did was going to be twisted and spun and used against him in an effort for people to claim the suits. And because of his attitude and inflated ego, he didn't care because he believed he was untouchable and that no one else was as smart as him and could make a similar 'weapon'.

I crossed the living room and climbed up the steps then I realized that it was the first time in six months my eyes hadn't found the waterfall and replayed the accident in my head. I smiled. I was moving on. I wasn't going to let one event haunt me for the rest of my life. I hadn't even been hurt that badly...okay that was a little lie. But it wasn't my injuries that kept me reliving that night every time I closed my eyes. It was because that night I had seen that my father wasn't invincible, with the arc reactor sitting in the middle of his chest, keeping him alive. And that was the night I thought he would die. I never, ever wanted to feel the way I had felt that night. Lying on the stairs in pain, thinking my father was dead above me and I couldn't help him.

Even as I thought about it now, I had to swallow a painful lump in my throat. I pushed those painful memories aside and quickly showered. I pulled on a pair of baggy sweats and my favourite purple singlet.

"J.A.R.V.I.S what's the time?" I asked as I brushed my hair that was so long now it got tangled every 10 seconds.

"7:28 P.M," the British A.I answered.

I was already tired and ready for bed but my stomach rumbled, reminding me of how starving I was. I walked down to the vast living room and was surprised to find silence. I had thought that their argument would still be going on.

I found the leftovers of a Thai takeaway dad ordered after returning from D.C. I quickly zapped it in the microwave and sat down on the couch to reruns of Top Gear. I focused on the cars, trying to remember everything I knew about them, keeping my mind occupied.

But I found my mind wondering back to the Senate. I hadn't spoken to dad about it again since we had got home but I wanted to. I wanted to know why he had kept those videos from me. The ones that showed attempts to replicate the suit. I suddenly remembered a conversation I had with dad months ago and realized why he had kept his mouth shut.

* * *

_**FIVE MONTHS AGO**_

_After four weeks in a wheelchair, I had become restless and extremely bored. I wanted to do something constructive like work on my cars but for the time being I was stuck watching dad instead. _

"_What are these?" I asked, looking at a stack of papers that littered his desk. As I inched myself closer to the desk, I could see sketches of the suit. _

"_New designs for suits. I've been thinking about new features I can add, like some sort of...stunning laser or...something that lets off a high pitch frequency to incapacitate them."Dad had sat himself down in a chair behind the desk and swung his feet up to rest on the corner of it. For someone who had almost died a month ago, he looked pretty good whereas I looked horrible._

"_Dad, I've been thinking about that. Who are you going after? Now that you've taken out the Ten Rings and the people doing the under the table deals in Gulmira, what's next? If you're going be making all these suits, why?"_

_Dad sighed and put hands behind his head. "To protect people. I'll be taking out people who-"_

"_Who what? Deserve it? Are you gunna go breaking into jails and murder all the thieves and rapists?"_

"_Okay, now you're being dramatic Morgan. I fixed the wrongs in my company and that showed me I can help people. How can I sit here with the technology to save, hundreds, maybe thousands of people and not do anything with it?"_

_Okay, I accepted that, I would probably do the same. But there was still something nagging me. "But if you make more suits, that'll just put more targets on our back."_

_Dad removed his hands from his head and took his feet off the table. "Morgan, who do you think is going to go after you?" Something in his tone made me think he thought I was being paranoid._

"_Well for starters, how about the government? You can't tell me that after your little announcement that they will be just fine letting you fly around in a suit with weapons." I gestured to the suit in question which was now sitting in a glass case next to the one he built in Afghanistan which they had recovered from Obadiah's lair. _

"_I'll handle the government," was all he said._

_I shook my head. I was determined to make my point. "What about people?"_

_He frowned like I was making no sense. "What about people?"_

"_Well, you're going to be out there in this suit which is one of the biggest technological inventions of the century. People will want, and try, to recreate it. And maybe it won't be to do good like you're trying to do."_

"_For starters it will be a long time before anyone can recreate the suit without the designs, the knowledge and the machinery used to build it. And if someone one day does manage it, I will make sure the people who do are not using it for the wrong reasons."_

_I sighed. "Dad you are not seeing the bigger picture here. You have tunnel vision where all you see is the suit and nothing else like the consequences. One day, sooner than you think, someone else will have this technology and people will get hurt. And then I hope you will remember this conversation."_

_I wheeled myself towards the elevator and didn't look back._

* * *

Of course dad didn't want to tell me about the video's because that would mean that I was right. It has only been six months and already people had made suits based on his. Granted, none of them were exactly functional right now, but it was only a matter of time before they got it right. I wanted to know what dad planned to do about it.

I asked J.A.R.V.I.S to switch the TV off and picked up the empty takeaway container. I had just come back into the living room when I heard the clicks of Pepper's heels upon the stairs. Her figure, blurred by the waterfall, appeared a moment later.

"Hey Pep, what-" I stopped when I saw her face. She was staring at me with wide eyes, her mouth slightly parted. I walked slowly towards her, my mind running over the number of times I had seen Pepper stunned. Once, when she had discovered the suit. "Pepper, what is it? What's happened?"

"Mr Stark...he made me CEO," she said softly.

"What?"

"Mr Stark appointed me his successor."

"Oh." My mind was suddenly trying to comprehend this fact. Pepper was dad's successor, not me. I had just always assumed that I would take over the company after dad. But Pepper was taking over. I told myself not to care; I didn't want to run a company, not now at 17. But what about when I was 21 and was ready? Would Pepper just hand it over to me?

I saw Pepper staring at me, waiting for my reaction. "Congratulations Pepper!" I hugged her quickly and gave her a smile.

"Don't worry Morgs," dad called out as he ascended the stairs. "You can still take over when you're older."

Pepper suddenly gasped and looked at me with shock. "Of course Morgan! I didn't mean to take anything away from you."

I forced a laugh and relaxed my features into a smile. "I know Pepper. Don't worry." I stretched my arms out in front of me. I could feel my smile becoming too forced and strained. "I'm really tired. I'm just gunna go up to bed. Night." I felt their eyes watching me as I retreated upstairs. As much as I wanted to talk to dad about the suits, I needed to be alone right now.

I collapsed onto my bed with a groan. Why was I so upset? Sure, a couple of years ago I had been all gung-ho, ready to work at Stark Industries but now I wasn't so sure. I didn't know if it was what I wanted to do anymore. So I shouldn't care that Pepper had taken over to company. She would sure do a better job than dad had been doing lately. Maybe I was upset because I had thought the job would always be sitting there waiting for me?

Well that didn't matter. If I wanted to take over in a few years, Pepper would be happy to stand down. Maybe I was upset because dad hadn't discussed it with me first? Sure, he didn't consider me in most of his business dealings but this decision involved me. He should have at least told me before he made it official.

I studied the smooth pattern of the ceiling and came to the conclusion that I was being ridiculous. It was actually good that dad had finally appointed someone responsible to be in charge of Stark Industries. Pepper could handle it and she would be amazing at it. And she deserves a promotion. I'm sure she was looking forward to having a bit of freedom and not having to follow dad around constantly.

I went back downstairs with the intent of congratulating Pepper properly.

"J.A.R.V.I.S had Pepper left?"

"Miss Potts left seven minutes ago."

Damn it. I made a mental note to congratulate her tomorrow.

Instead of going back upstairs, I found myself descending the steps into the garage. I pushed in the password on the 'keypad' in the glass and pushed open the door. A quick glance showed me that it was empty which was unusual, especially at this time of the night. I walked across the cold tiles to the glass cabinets along one of the walls. Inside were four Iron Man suits, including the original one he made while being held captive in Afghanistan.

I walked past each one, my fingers running along the glass. I came to stand before the first suit, a very crude version of the complex and sleek one dad was now using. My eyes wandered over the bulky contraption, trying to imagine dad creating it, desperate to escape. What would life be like now if he had never gone over there? We sure wouldn't have these suits, but would that be such a bad thing?

It was useless to think like that. Besides, Obadiah had ordered the Ten Rings to murder dad in Afghanistan so if he had never gone over there, he would have just gotten someone else to do the job here. And he might have not survived it.

"You know Stark Industries yours the day you want it."

I spun around. Dad was striding towards me. His eyes were locked on my face, reading my expression. I smiled gently, a genuine one.

"I know Dad. But I'm not even sure if I want it anymore." I looked up into his eyes as he came to stand beside me.

"Then what's wrong?"

"Why didn't you tell me about the videos? The ones you showed at the Senate."

He sighed like he had been expecting the question.

I answered for him. "Because you remember our conversation down here and showing them to me would have been a big _'I told you so'_."

"Exactly," he said. "You were right Morgan. But as you saw in the videos, no one is even close to perfecting the technology." He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me in close. "You need to stop worrying so much. I will handle all of it."

I smiled up at him. "That's what worries me so much." I pulled back to stare up into his face. "I love you dad and I trust you and the suit but I don't trust everyone else and I just worry that one day something is going to happen and the suit won't save you." I loved my dad more than anyone else in the world and all I wanted to do was protect him but he never made that easy. "What do I do with all this?" I asked, gesturing to the suits.

Dad frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Heaven forbid you die, what am I suppose to do with all this? And the company? I don't know what to do and I'll be all alone and all these suits-"

Dad cut me off by pulling me into a fierce hug. I clung to him, suddenly overwhelmed with sadness. What _would_ happen if he died? I wouldn't know the first thing to do. And how would I cope with losing him? I would have no family left, it would be just me.

"Don't worry Morgan, I'm not going anywhere." He held me a moment longer before letting me go but keeping his hands on my arms. "And you will never be alone. You will always have Pepper."

"I know. I'm just...feeling lost."

He pulled me back in for another hug. I breathed in his scent, wanting to remember it forever, and never wanting to let him go.

* * *

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	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to everyone who is leaving a review. I really appreciate them.**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Iron Man.

* * *

The next few days passed quickly with so much going on, especially for Pepper. After I congratulated her properly, she informed me that she was now looking for a replacement to become dad's new personal assistant. She had already interviewed over 10 women suitable for the position yet, after briefing him on each one, dad turned them all away, finding some miniscule flaw they had. After some debating, she had gotten him to agree to meet three of them tomorrow before we headed off to Monaco.

Even though Pepper wasn't exactly leaving, I was still going to miss her. She had been dad's PA since I was a kid and in that time we had grown extremely close. She had stuck around when so many would have left and she had helped dad so much, more than he knew. She had become more than a friend to me. Running dad's company would be harder than running around after dad so I knew the amount of time we would get to spend together would decrease. I hoped she would still find time to see me once she was running dad's multi-billion dollar business.

I doubted that I would become close with dad's next PA. Even so, I wanted a choice in who dad picked considering how much time I would be around them. I don't want to end up with someone I don't like.

With that in mind, I made my way down to the exercise room after being informed by J.A.R.V.I.S that both Pepper and dad were there. I walked in, just in time to see a woman slam Happy to the ground in the boxing ring, with his head in-between her feet.

"Oh my god!" I said, while Pepper screeched "Happy!"

A moment later the woman released him and got to her feet, followed by an unsteady Happy. I quickly walked into the room to stand by Pepper as dad went over to the ring.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked Pepper as I eyed the woman standing in the ring. She was extremely attractive with long brown hair in soft curls, a slim figure and full pink lips. What the hell was she doing in the ring with Happy?

"That is Natalie Rushman from legal who is here to complete the company papers for me. And your father asked Happy to give her a lesson in the ring," she answered.

I looked at dad, in his boxing gear, talking to the woman who had stepped out of the ring. "Doesn't looks like she needs a lesson," I said.

"No," Pepper said and I could hear a hint of annoyance in her tone.

She made her way over to dad, who was now putting his thumb print on the files the woman was holding. I stepped closer to try and hear why this woman was so special that dad had put her in the ring (no one but dad and Happy ever went in the ring).

"So, how are we doing?" Pepper asked.

"Great. Just wrapping up," dad replied. He pointed to the paper. "You're the boss."

The woman, Natalie Rushman, closed the file, swung her hair and looked to dad. "Will that be all Mr Stark?"

"No."

"Yes, that will be all, Ms Rushman. Thank you very much." Pepper's smile, a smile I had seen her use many times on dad's one nighters, indicated the conversation was over and there was only one thing for her to do; leave.

As the woman walked by me, she stared into my eyes. Instantly I disliked her. I had no rational explanation as to why, it was just instinct. She something about her seemed off. Like why does a good looking woman from legal know how to body slam someone? I told myself not to worry, she was just from woman from legal.

The minute she was out the door, dad said "I want one."

"No," was Pepper's reply.

I hoped dad wasn't serious when he said he 'wanted one'. I knew with dad, and so did Pepper, that what he wanted, he got.

"So Pepper," I said as I walked over to them. "You are now officially the CEO of Stark Industries!"

Pepper grinned and I could see the sparkle in her eyes. "Yes."

"And she will do great," dad added.

Happy, slumped against the ropes of the boxing ring, sighed. "Are we done here?"

* * *

The one thing I hated about holidays was packing. I always put it off to the last minute.

The night before Monaco, my suitcase sat empty on my bed and would stay that way until about an hour before we left. I just find packing boring when there are so many other things I could be doing. Like doing maintenance on my Audi S5.

"J.A.R.V.I.S please put on some Fall Out Boy," I said from underneath the hood as I checked the oil level.

Immediately, my favourite song was blasting through the garage. I sang along as I worked. I was always happiest when I was in grease covered overalls working on my cars. Everything just faded away until the only thing on my mind was the car.

I was on my knees checking the tyre pressure when the song playing suddenly cut out.

"Hey!" I popped my head up to see dad entering the garage. "I was listening to that."

Although dad and I were alike in many ways, one thing we did not have in common was musical tastes. While he liked bands like AC/DC and Black Sabbath, I preferred Fall Out Boy and All American Rejects. It was a constant battle to choose what to play when we were both working down here.

"Shouldn't you be packing?" he asked.

"Shouldn't _you_ be packing?"

He shrugged as he came to stand by my car. "I got bored."

"Me too." I watched him begin to fiddle with some of the hoses and clamps under the hood. "Dad," I said in a warning tone. It was an unspoken rule that we never touched the other's car without permission. It was a rule I found easy to follow but dad had a hard time keeping his hands off my Audi's.

"You know if you-"

"Dad!" I jumped up and waved a finger at him. "Step away from the Audi."

He held his hands up in surrender and stepped back from the car.

"Thank you," I said as I grabbed a wrench from my toolbox and began tightening the nuts on the wheels. "How's the assistant hunt going?"

"I've got a few people in mind," he said. "How's the modelling and interviewing going?"

"Fantastic," I said with clear sarcasm. "They're coming over in five minutes for my photo shoot. How do I look?" I struck a pose as dad looked at my dirty overalls, frizzy hair and grease covered face and hands.

"Beautiful," he said with sincerity.

"You liar," I said as I knelt back down to the wheels. "I still haven't decided yet if I'll do it."

"It's up to you Morgs," he said as he sat down at his desk and began typing away on one of his many computers.

"I know," I muttered.

We fell into silence as he began working on his computer and I tried to stop thinking about photo shoots and interview questions.

My eyes kept flickering back to dad as I worked. He had been spending a lot of time of his computers lately. Every time I asked what he was doing he said he was designing some new weapons for the suits. I didn't know if I believed him or not.

Chucking the wrench onto my toolbox, I grabbed a rag and sat next to the car as I tried to clean my hands. "Hey dad, can I talk to you about something?"

He looked up from his computer screens. "Of course."

I bit my lip as I averted my gaze. "Well, I don't really know how to bring it up..."

"Uh oh. What is it? Is it drugs? Are you pregnant? Do you owe someone a million dollars?"

"Dad! Come on, I'm being serious." I took a deep breath as I began wringing the rag in my hand. "I've just been thinking lately-"

"Always a bad sign."

I gave him a look which said shut up. "I've been thinking," I continued. "And this is just an idea...about moving out."

The reaction was instantaneous. His face suddenly dropped and his fingers paused on the keyboard. "Moving out?" he asked.

I stood up to walk over to him. "Yes. I know I'm only 17 but maturity wise I'm, like, 27! And it's something I've been thinking about for a while and it might not even happen for another 2 years! But I just think it would be good if I started getting some independence and space. Maybe get a job?"

Dad looked like he was struggling for words which did not happen often. "So you want some space?"

"Kind of," I said. "Look dad, eventually I will have to move out and start my life. I just feel like...now might be the right time."

"Why now?" he asked as he pushed himself away from the desk and rolled his chair closer to where I was standing. "Why not in...14 years?"

"Do you really want me living here when I'm 31?" I crossed my arms over my chest. "Just think about all the things you can do if I move! You can drink and eat all the takeaway you want. Play your music as loud as you want and bring home as many girls as you want! It's not like I will be moving to the other side of the country, like when I was at MIT. You survived that right? I'll be like 5 minutes away. I just want my own home."

"You don't like this home?" he asked.

I gave him a smile. "You know I do. But this is _your_ home."

"This is _our_ home," he corrected. "And soon one day it will be yours."

I frowned and opened my mouth to ask what he meant about it one day soon being mine but he spoke first.

"Can you just keeping thinking about it for a couple of months? Don't rush into anything."

I nodded. "It was only an idea. I won't go out buying any mansions just yet."

I saw the relief in his face but I also saw the sadness. I hated making him sad but he had to face the fact that one day I would move out and he would be here alone. I thought he might be at least a little bit excited or happy at the idea of getting him mansion back after 17 years. He could do whatever he wanted again without having to worry about a 17 year old girl. I guess I didn't realise how hard it would be for him to become accustomed to being alone again after so many years.

I went back to working on my Audi and dad went back to his computers. But there was something else I wanted to ask him but it gave me butterflies just thinking about it. It has been nagging at me for months, ever since we made the suit. I took in a deep breath and looked to dad again.

"Dad." He looked up from his computer screens. "There's something else I want to talk about."

"What is it?"

"I…" I knew as soon as I said it he would say no but I needed to ask anyway. "I want to try on the suit."

Once again shock registered on his face and the garage fell into silence. "You what?" he asked as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"I want to try on the suit," I repeated. "I know I'm too short for it but if we put some stacks into it I would fit and I've wanted to try it since we built it but I knew would say no but I think because I help build them I should be able-"

"Morgan, it's too dangerous," he said, cutting over the top of me.

"Oh," I said, "so it's too dangerous for me but it's perfectly fine for you?"

Dad nodded. "Yes."

"That is so hypercritical," I said. "Come on. I deserve to try it on. I'm not going to flying across the state, I just want to try it on here. You're a hero to so many people and for one moment I just want to know what that might feel like, even if it's just trying on the suit. Please dad." I looked at him dead in the eyes. "Please."

He stared at me and the seconds ticked by. It was a full minute before he sighed and nodded. I wanted to scream with excitement but I managed to contain myself. "Thank you!"

"But only the boots," he said quickly.

I wanted to argue but right now I would take what I was given. "Okay." I pulled off my overalls so I was just in shorts and a plain tee. I looked expectantly at dad who looked surprised.

"Now?" he asked.

"Of course!" I said. I wanted to do it before he changed his mind and said no.

I watched as he reluctantly stood and got the boots we used when designing the Mark II. "Now you're only going to use one percent thrust," he said as he helped me into the boots. "Make sure you find your centre of balance otherwise you'll go ass over head." He passed me the hand stabilizers before handing me a small harness to hold an arc reactor to power the boots. "Don't try anything fancy. Just power up then come back down," he said while opening the safe which contained his spare arc reactor. After Obadiah had stolen his arc reactor and dad had almost died, we made sure that there would always be an arc reactor on hand in case of emergencies. He hooked up the wires from the boots and stabilizers into the arc reactor while lecturing me about what not to do.

Frankly I was thinking if dad could do it, so could I. If he could fly around the world saving people, I'm sure I could fly around the garage. I was grinning from ear to ear with excitement. Ever since we built Mark II I had wondered what it would be like to use it; now I was finally going to find out. I wiggled my toes in the boots, which were way too big for my feet, but I wasn't going to say anything to dad. I didn't want him to suddenly change his mind.

"Okay." He helped me walk over to the middle of the garage so I wouldn't fall flat on my face. The boots were incredibly heavy but not uncomfortable, just unusual. "Okay, just squeeze your left hand to power up and again to kill power."

"Dad, I helped you build these remember? I know how it works."

Dad help his hands up in defence as he backed away. I could tell he was itching to tell me to be careful but thankfully he kept his mouth shut. I took in a deep breath and adopted a steady stance. I squeezed my hand and the thrusters in the boots flared into life. The repulsors in my palms activated and before I knew it I was floating 7 feet above the ground. I felt myself tipping backwards so I leaned forward and threw my hands out to the side to stabilize myself.

"This is amazing!" I said when I finally felt steady. It was definitely harder than it looked but it was exhilarating. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins and I finally understood how dad felt every time he put on the suit. It. Was. Amazing. It was like nothing I've ever felt before and these were only the boots. I couldn't imagine how putting on the whole suit would feel.

I tiled forward ever so slightly and I went flying across the garage.

"Careful," dad said but I had control, I knew what I was doing. Unlike dad's first time flying, I made sure to stay away from the cars and our desks. I wanted to keep going but dad looked so on edge that I took pity on him and flew back to my start position. I squeezed my hand and the power died, sending me to the floor. Dad immediately came forward and grabbed my hand to keep me from falling backwards.

I beamed at him. "That's incredible."

"Yeah it is," he said. He helped me out of the boots while my mind began wandering. I finally got why he kept putting that suit on day after day. Almost every day dad would put it on and fly out of here, leaving me behind, wondering what it felt like to be Iron Man. I finally had gotten to feel what it was like. The feeling I got from just flying around the garage was amazing. I couldn't image how it would feel flying across the country in it. It was exhilarating and addictive. Already I was itching to try the boots on again, or better yet, try on the actual suit. But there is no way Dad will let me in the suit, at least not for now. Maybe if I wear him down he'll say yes eventually. Who knows?

All I know is that I was determined to fly again. Someday.

* * *

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